Automatic vehicle-brake.



C. H. LIKELY.

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE BRAKE.

APPL|cAT|oN FILED JUNE 15. 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A\ I2830 2l v .5g '25S 74 2 y l wibvwooelo 1 CHHRLES H L" KELY C. H.UKELY.

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE BRAKE,

APPLICATION m50 JUNE 15, 19m,

laente Apr. 27, 19k?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLES H. LTKVELY, F WOODY, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE-BRAKE.

11,137,5(Ilt).

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2'?, 1915.

Application led June 15,1914. Serial No. 845,168.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. LIKELY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Woody, in the county of Kern and State of California, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vehicle-Brakes, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

l@ This invention relates to vehicle brakes and `more particularly tobrakes of that character employed upon trail wagons which are coupled tothe rear end of a lead wagon. Succinctly stated, the primary object ofthe invention is to ,provide means for automatically applying the brakesto the wheels of the trail wagon upon a forward or ady vance movement ofthe same with respect to the lead wagon when descending a grade.

Tn its more'specific aspect, my invention comprehends the provision ofan improved coupling between the lead and trail wagons 'embodying arearwardly extending rod or bar secured to the rear aXle of the leadwagon and provided with a suitable bumper. a slidable plate mounted uponthe tongue of the trail wagon and loosely engaged upon the rear end ofsaid rod, and operating connections between said plate and the brake 3obeam of the trail wagon, whereby the brakes areautomatically appliedupon the sliding movement of the plate occasioned by the same strikingthe bumper on the lead wagon.

My invention has for still another object 85 to produce an automaticbrake of the above character which is extremely simple in itsconstruction, highly eicient and reliable in practical use and may bereadily applied to various makes of vehicles now in general use withoutnecessitating any material alterations in their construction.

``With the above and other objects in view as will become apparent asthedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain e5constructions, combinations and arrangements of the parts that ll shallhereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing 5u description and accompanying drawings, in

whichi Figure 1 is a top plan view of the bed frame and running gear ofa trail wagon and a portion of the lead wagon, showing my invention asapplied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the wheels on one4 sideremoved. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the coupling and brakeoperating means for the trail wagon. Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof. Fig.5 is a section taken on 6o the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designates the bed frame of afarm Wagon or other vehicle upon which the body (lot shown) is mountedin any usual or preferred manner. This bed frame is arranged upon therunning gear 6 which includes front and rear axles 7 and 8 respectively.Ground wheels 9 are revolubly mounted upon the ends of these axles. Thisgeneral description applies both to the forward or lead wagon A and tothe rear or trail wagon B. f

10 designates the transverse brake beams mounted upon the frame of thelead wagon, said beams being provided at their' ends with the usualbrake blocks for application to the peripheries of the rear groundwheels at diametrically opposite points. These brake beams are shiftedupon the application of the brakes by means of suitable manuallyoperable connections, indicated at 11.

As the means for operating the brakes upon the forward or lead wagonconstitutes no part of the invention, the same will not, therefore, beset forth in detail.

To the underside of the rear axle of the lead wagon A, the forked arms12 formed upon one end ofv a rod or bar 13 are secured by means of clipsor in any other desired manner. The rear end of this rod or bar ismounted in a depending bracket 14 secured to therear transverse bar orthe side rails of the bed frame 5. Upon this rod a collar 15 is securedand is adapted to limit the movable end of a spring bumper plate 16which is engaged upon said rod, the other end of said plate I.beingriveted or otherwise secured to the underside of the rod 13.

17 designates a short forwardly extending 103 tongue which is securedbetween the for ward hounds ofthe running gear 6 of the trail wagon. Abar 18 is mounted upon the upper side of this tongue for slidingmovement and is retained in position thereon by means of loops 19, theends of which are secured to the opposite sides of the tongue. Upon theforward end of this bar a sleeve 20 is secured, in which thevrear end ofthe rod 13 is loosely engaged. A lever 21 is fulcrumed intermediate ofits ends in abracket 22 which is secured upon and extends forwardly ofthe front axle 7 of the trail wagon B. To the upper end of this leverthe rear ends of a pair of links 23 are pivotally connected, said linksbeing connected at their other ends to the rear end of the sliding bar18. A loop-24 is loosely connected to the' lower end of this lever andto the same the forward end of a rod-25 is connected.

26 designate the transverse brake beams of the trail wagon B, said beamsbeing slidably mounted in depending guide irons 27 which are secured tothe longitudinal rails of the bed frame 5. The ends of these brake beamsare provided with the usual brake blocks for application to the groundwheels. To the reardge of the forward brake beam 26 bearing sleeves 28are secured, and in the same the ends of a rod 29 are rotatably mounted.This rod is provided at each end with an arm 30 and to each of said armsone end f a rod 31 is connected. The other ends of these rods aresecured to the rear brake beam 26. A depending arm 32 is also fixed tothe rod 29 at a point intermediate of its ends and the lower end of saidarm is pivotally connected to the rear end of the rod 25.

The forward axle of the trail wagon B is connected in the usual mannerby means of chains, indicated at 33, to the rear axle of the lead wagonA.

In he operatlon of my improved brake device, the lead and trail wagonsbeing couplied or connected together as shown in the drawing, upondescending an inclined grade, the trail wagon will gather momentum andmove faster than the lead wagon. When this occurs, the sleeve 20 on theforward en d of the bar 18 engages the bumper or stop 16 provided uponthe rear end of the rod 13. The bar 18 is thus forced rearwardly uponthe tongue 17 and through the medium of the links 23, the lever 21 isrocked upon its fulcrum, the lower end of this lever being forcedupwardly and thereby drawing'the rod 25 forwardly. In this movement ofthe rod 25, the transverse rod 29 is rocked in the bearing sleeves 28upon the forward brake beam 26 of the trail wagon. The rods 31 connectedto the arms on the endsof the rod 29 are thereby drawn forwardly and thelbrakes upon the rear beam 26 applied to the ground wheels. After thesebrakes have been applied the forward brake beam 26 is moved by thecontinued pull of the rod'25, andthe blocks carried thereby ap liedtothe peripheries of the wheels. It wil of course, be understood thatthe pressure of the blocks against the wheels will vary in accordancewith the steepness of the grade. The brakes are constantly released assoon as the wa on or vehicle is on a level grade and the orward end ofthe bar 18 ceases to bear against the bumper 16.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I wagon without necessitatingthe employment n of skilled labor. It will, of course, be un# derstoodthat while I have above described the preferred construction andarrangement of the several elements employed the-invention issusceptible of considerablemodiication therein without departing fromits essential features or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof,except as defined -in the appended claims.

' What I claim, is:

1. The combination with the leadA and trail i wagons, said latter wagonbein provided with movable brake beams an havin 'a forwardly extendingtongue, of a bar s 'dably mounted upon said tongue, a rearwardlyextending rod mounted upon the lead wagon and slidably connected to theforward end of said bar connecting means between the rear. end of saidbar and the brake beams, and a bumper fixed to the rod on the lead wagonadapted to be en gaged by the forward end of the slide bar,

whereby said bar is moved and the brakesY applied. l v

2. The combination with the lead and-trail wagons, said latter wagonbeing provided with wheel brakes, and a forwardly extending tongue, of abar slidably mounted upon said tongue and provided with a sleeve uponits forward end, a rod mounted upon the rear axle of the lead wagon andextending rearwardly therefrom, said rod being loosely engaged in thesleeve on said bar, a lever fu crumed intermediate of its ends upon theforward axle of the trail wagon, a 'connection between the upper end ofsaid lever and the rear end of said slide bar, operating meansconnecting the lower end of said lever to the brakes on the trail wagon,and a. bumper on the rear end of the lead wagon adapted to be engaged bythe sleeve on the forward end of said slide bar upon an excessiveforward movement of the trail wagon to move said bar and apply thebrakes. i

3. The combination with the lead and trail nesting the upper end of saidlever to the rear end of the slide bar, and connecting means between thelower end of said lever and the brakes on the trail wagon, the sleeveupon the forward end of the slide bar beingv 1o adapted to engage thebumper upon an excessive forward movement of the trail wagon to slidesaid bar and apply the wheel brakes.

In testimony whereof I hereunto alix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES H. LIKELY.

